To End the Homunculi
by Anonymoose13
Summary: Ed and Al come across a unique girl while traveling. Circumstances force them to look after her, but can she be useful in their mission, or will she merely be a hindrance? How will this change the relationships among the characters? Find out in To End the Homunculi! Al has his body and Ed is still short. AlxOC, EdxWinry
1. The Introduction

**This is an old story that I edited a bit, so I hope it's okay. Please Review kindly at the end to see if I should continue. I do have a lot written, but it's not yet complete, so tell me what you think!**

** IMPORTAN A/N: I took creative freedoms**

**Al has his body, but the homunculi haven't been defeated**

**Al is 15, Ed is 16**

** Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I own Isabel. And Ryo.**

Twin heads of golden hair shined in the warm spring sunshine as the two boys walked on the fringe of a forest.

"Hey Al?" the shorter of the two began.

"Hmm?" Al grunted.

"Do you see that?"

Al squinted, peering almost directly into the sun that was sinking rapidly toward the horizon as if it had a meeting it was about to be late to. "Is that... a...?" Al started.

"It's a fight!" Ed, the shorter boy, shouted almost... gleefully? "Come on! Let's check it out!" He sprinted as fast as he could towards the rather heated brawl about five hundred yards away, Al following close behind.

As they neared the fight, they could see it was between four rather large, well-muscled men and a lithe girl of average height. She ducked under the punch of what appeared to be the leader, laughing slightly maniacally.

"Is that really the best you've got?" She taunted. "I expected more of the infamous Central Killers." She laughed again before something in her eyes hardened. Her maniac grin was still in place as she gleefully swept the leaders legs out from under him and kicked the side of his head so hard he fell unconscious, a bit of blood trickling from his mouth. She whirled around to face the other three, who glanced fearfully at each other before drawing guns and closing in on her.

"Crap," she hissed under her breath. "Guess the leader's not the strong one, just manipulative." She ran at the man on her left first, taking him down in a matter of seconds, skillfully using him as a shield from the other two. The last two left standing rushed at her at the same time, learning from their fallen comrades that trying to take her one at a time just wouldn't work. The first one grabbed her by the wrist and yanked it behind her back while her attention was focused on the other one. She bit back a scream of pain as something snapped. She struggled, but she couldn't move as the one she had been focusing on thrust his gun under her chin.

"Best behave girlie," the man snarled, his breath stinking of cigarettes and alcohol, his beard scratchy and unshaven. "We wouldn't wanna have an accident now, would we?"

The girl just growled at him.

"She ain't worth it." the other man said calmly. "Too feisty."

"Hmm, that's too bad. She's a good lookin' one too." The first said as he turned off the safety of his gun, his eyes roving over the girl's body sadly.

Green eyes widened and she squirmed, trying to free herself, whimpering slightly as her wrist was jostled.

"Hey!" her eyes flicked up at the shout, widening more as she saw a boy with a short dagger protruding from under his sleeve. "Leave her alone!" The big one holding her pulled her closer while the other advanced toward the boy.

Gr_eat, _the girl thought sarcastically. _I get to be the damsel in distress; I don't think so!_ Her captor's grip had slackened slightly at the arrival of the boy, so she sneakily shifted her weight a little and threw him over her head. Sadly, he pulled her with him, so she ended up landing on top of him. He released her hands to balance himself and she spun on her shoulder blades, kicking him twice in the face as she leaped to her feet, wincing again as she bumped her wrist. She turned to see how the other boy was doing, but apparently she hadn't knocked her opponent out with her kicks because she was being pushed roughly out of the way by a boy who looked similar to the other one, just taller. He had fallen with her, landing on top of her, pinning her injured wrist under her. Her eyes watered, but the boy just leaped off her and tackled the man, punching him until he was out cold. Apparently the other boy had beaten his opponent to a bloody pulp as well. Then they both turned on her.

She heaved her body into a deceptively relaxed fighting position, just in case the boys tried to take her with them. "Thanks," she mumbled. It wouldn't do to forget her manners now would it? "Who are you?" She asked in a commanding voice, deciding that although she would play polite, she would still be assertive.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," Al said lowly and calmly. "This is my brother, Edward."

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist?" The girl queried.

"That's right!" Ed said proudly.

"Hmm. The rumors must be just that; rumors, because you're not _that_ short."

"WHAT!? WHO DID YOU JUST CALL SMALL ENOUGH TO DROWN IN A RAINDROP!?" Ed lunged at her knocking her backwards before Al could stop him. Swiftly, the girl used his momentum and flipped with Ed, straddling his chest, her right hand cradled against her own chest.

"You know, _I_ didn't call you short," Ed struggled at the word, but the girl merely pinned his arms above his head, wincing as he struggled against her right one, and leaned down, whispering in his ear, "I said you weren't as small as the _rumors_ said, Fullmetal. You should probably listen better so you aren't completely humiliated when someone else is stronger than you again." slid off of Ed's chest and stood warily as Al ran over and apologized profusely for his brother's behavior.

"I'm so sorry! Brother's just like that whenever someone calls him short! Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he? Oh no! You _are _hurt!"

The girl let out a strained laugh and said, "You worry like a mother hen Alphonse Elric. Calm down. It's not that bad. Thanks, by the way, for helping me out with those guys. They were a little tougher than I thought they'd be."

"No problem." Al replied, blushing slightly. "It was Brother who noticed. He's good at that sort of thing. Finding trouble I mean." Ed, who had just gotten up trotted over looking proud and humiliated at the same time.

"What's your name anyway?" Ed asked, cutting Alphonse off before he continued rambling. "And where'd you learn to fight so well?"

"My name it Isabel and easy, I was taught." Isabel stated, glaring slightly at Ed's rude behavior as she thoughtlessly stuck her right hand out to shake Ed's. She inhaled sharply as their hands met and pain lanced up her wrist.

"Brother stop! You're hurting her! Do you need to see a doctor or something?" He queried, sounding genuinely concerned.

Isabel's eyes darkened slightly, but she smiled gently up at Al. "No thanks. I'll be fine if I can get home. Speaking of which, it's getting dark. How's about you guys come home with me, just for tonight? I'll have dinner too," she smirked as both boy's stomachs growled traitorously.

They grinned sheepishly, but Ed, stubborn to the end, stated lowly, "No thanks. We've slept outside without food before, we'll survive."

"Brother," Alphonse hissed. "I don't think it's a good idea to sleep outside again. Plus it feels a little cold out and I don't think my body will be able to cope if it isn't warm." Alphonse didn't want to sound like a crybaby, but it was true, and if either of them got sick it would delay their plans.

"Yeah, there's no need to be stubborn Edward." Isabel interjected. "You saved my life, you and Alphonse. The least I can do is give you food and shelter for the night. And, for some reason, you're very easy to catch off guard tonight, you should stay somewhere safer. Plus, I'll need to explain to Ryo what happened, and he can't kill me if we have guests." She smiled winningly at Edward.

"Okay," Ed relented. For some reason this girl reminded him of Teacher or Winry; a strong and caring woman you didn't want to trifle with. He got up quickly, grumbling stubbornly but shooting a grateful glance at Isabel. Al snickered and followed Isabel and Ed out of the forest and toward the town, wondering who this _Ryo_ was.

**Soooo… yeah…. That would be chapter one. Anyways, please review, critique, ask questions, comment, REVIEW, bit don't flame. They make me sad. **

**Now I have a riddle for you to answer. Whoever gets it right first, I will write a drabble of your choice for you with restrictions of course. I won't go against my morals…**

**Anyway, here it is:**

It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?


	2. Jealousy?

"Ryo, we're home!" Isabel called as they walked into the small downstairs apartment in the small but bustling town of Tistern, which was about half a day's walk from Central.

"'Bout time you got back!" Ryo walked into the hall. He was a big man with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He was lithe, like Isabel, but muscular and intimidating. His eyes narrowed as he saw Isabel's swollen wrist and the two boys that trailed behind her. "What happened?" he growled, eyes flashing angrily.

"Nothing Ry-ry!" Isabel smiled, giving the big man an awkward, one-armed hug that he grudgingly returned. Al's eyes flickered up from his examination of the tile floor to Ryo's dark eyes, then back to the floor again. "I just ran into that gang from Central again, no big deal," she said quickly, skittering agilely behind Ryo and down the hall.

"So, who're you?" Ryo grunted, jerking his head at the brothers.

"Alphonse Elric, sir," Al said shortly.

Ed glanced at Al, shocked for a moment at his unusual behavior, then spoke proudly. "And I'm Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Yeah, I've heard of you," Ryo replied carelessly. "You helped my sister with that gang?" When the boys nodded he grunted, "Thanks. She may not admit it, but she can't do _everything_ by herself."

"Isabel's your sister?" Al asked, pretending not to care.

Ryo's eyes glinted for a moment, but he simply stated, "Yeah. We're all each other's got left now, so I worry about her. Especially when she goes lookin' for trouble. Reminds me of Mom a lot," he added as an afterthought.

"Don't bore them with our family's history, Ry," Isabel said sharply, reappearing from the hallway, her wrist wrapped and her arms overflowing with bandages, gauze and antiseptics.

"Let me help you with that!" Al exclaimed as he rushed forward, catching a few things that were about to fall out of Isabel's grasp.

"Thanks Alphonse, but I want you and Edward to go sit down. I can handle this for a few more moments. Ryo," she glanced at her brother, "Can you go start dinner please?"

Ryo nodded and went into the small kitchen to do as Isabel asked, while the latter led Ed and Al back toward the bathroom to clean them up, nearly dropping a few more supplies as she turned the corner.

"Come here Alphonse," Isabel instructed, sighing impatiently as both boys stood in the doorway suddenly looking unsure of themselves.

She gestured towards the toilet seat, but Ed spoke up. "Why're you doing him first?" Al turned red at his brother's choice of words, which did not go unnoticed by Isabel.

"Well," she said slowly, drawing the word out suggestively, "I could do you first if you want." She slunk over to him as she spoke, placing one hand on his flesh shoulder.

Ed's eyes widened and he flushed angrily. "Whatever! Just be careful with him!"

"Don't worry," Isabel said softly, amusement gone from her eyes, replaced by thoughtful determination. "I will." She turned from Ed to Al, who was still a little pink. "This might sting a bit, but it'll be over soon."

Al nodded as she gently daubed the disinfectant on his face where the blood was thickest. Yes, it stung, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He sat stoically, waiting while Isabel leaned toward him, fighting to keep his blush down, while she gently fixed him up.

_ What's wrong with me?_ Al thought. _I only just met Isabel, so why am I blushing so much? Granted, she is the first girl to touch me besides Winry since I got my body back, but that's not it... Is it? That would be a pretty pathetic reason for my body to behave this way. And Brother and I are leaving tomorrow anyway, so it's not like anything will happen. I'll just have to enjoy Isabel's company while I can. She seems nice enough. And she's definitely pretty._

While Al had been a good patient, Ed was not nearly as graceful.

"Geez woman! Watch it! Don't wrap it so tight!" Ed complained as Isabel tried wrapping his grazed arm with bandages.

"Come on!" Isabel yelled right back. "Is da big, bad State Alchemist afwaid of a wittle antiseptic!?" She mocked, adopting a baby voice.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing!?" Ed screamed, infuriated beyond belief that this girl that he just met was mocking him as if she had known him her whole life. Not that he was behaving any better, but that was beside the point. He was a State Alchemist after all, and he deserved to be respected as one! "It's a good thing you're not a doctor! With your skills, all your patients would die!"

Isabel froze. Her eyes dimmed, then hardened to icy chips of jade as she glared at Ed, who shrunk back. "Alphonse," her voice was as cold as her eyes. "You fix him." She threw the roll of gauze at Al, who jumped at the ferocity of the throw, and fumbled for a bit before catching it firmly between his fingers. Isabel turned and ran out of the room, but not before the boys heard a choked sob erupt out of her.

"That was a little harsh, Brother," Al said disapprovingly. "You should apologize."

"Why should I?" Ed crossed his arms like a stubborn child.

"She was just trying to help us!"

"'Cause we saved her sorry hide from being killed earlier!"

"You're hopeless Brother!" Al exclaimed, tying off the bandage he was working on with a tug a little sharper than was strictly necessary before standing up and heading off in the direction Isabel had fled to.

The second Al slipped down the hall, Ryo took his place, looming above Edward like an elephant over a mouse. He looked more like a panther though as he glared daggers at Ed.

"What did you say to her?" Ryo growled in a voice full of quiet malice.

"N-nothing," Ed stuttered.

"Liar," Ryo hissed. "The only thing that makes Bel cry like that is a reminder of our parents. They died four years ago, when Bel was eleven and studying under the town doctor, our father."

Ed winced; not only had he insulted Isabel's skills in her previously chosen profession, but he had indirectly insulted her father too.

"All I know is that there was a raid and Bel saw our father die, after she had been through something just as traumatic. Isabel was shot. She almost died too. I don't know the full story since I was involved with my own apprenticeship about a day away from here by train." Ryo finished.

"I... I'm really... sorry." Ed grunted, feeling like that word was a shard of glass that had just been pulled out of his throat.

"_I_'m not the one you need to apologize to, buddy," Ryo growled. "You've only just met my sister and you've already made her cry. Fix it, or I swear, State Alchemist aside, I'll make you regret it." Ryo threatened. Ed nodded quickly and hurried out the door and followed the direction Al had turned in. he shuffled his feet down the narrow wooden hall, dreading when he would have to say that awful word to Isabel. The girls he was used to were much tougher than Isabel, but he could understand how bringing up memories of deceased parents would make someone cry. He stopped outside a doorway and listened to Isabel's voice that floated through the barrier of wood.


End file.
